A Perfect Glass of Wine: Choosing, Serving, and Enjoying [Hardcover]

Brian St. Pierre (Author), Deborah Jones (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Many people see the enjoyment of wine as an intimidating and complicated matter, requiring a mastery of arcane rules and rituals. In fact, there's no more to it than putting each wine to the ultimate test: Does it taste good? Wine writer Brian St. Pierre's book begins by introducing the basic flavors of the several grape varieties used in making wines around the world. Once those are understood, all the rest flows smoothly--what distinguishes the colors and types, how to match wine with food, how to store and serve it, and even how much to spend on a bottle. St. Pierre's sensible approach combined with stunning photographs and elegant maps of the world's great wine-growing regions make this the perfect no-nonsense guide or lovely gift for anyone who wants to learn to understand, appreciate, and, above all, fully enjoy the fruit of the vine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The only difficulty with the book may be where to keep it -- it's informative enough to use in the kitchen, entertaining enough to keep by your bedside, and attractive enough to display on your coffee table. Appelation

. . . the writing is reassuringly free of jargon and will probably encourage the timid to approach some wines, such as Italian and Rhone varietals, that they may have been unsure about. San Jose Mercury News

--San Jose Mercury News, June 1997
On the subject of wine appreciation, Brian St. Pierre's A Perfect Glass of Wine is a more accessible and less daunting introduction then the Vine book. The lavish color photographs by San Francisco photographer Deborah Jones are probably more beautiful than useful, but the writing is reassuringly free of jargon and will probably encourage the timid to approach some wines, such as Italian and Rh ne varietals, that they may have been unsure about.

About the Author

Brian St. Pierre is the author of A Perfect Glass of Wine and The Perfect Match , both available from Chronicle Books. He lives with his family in London.

Deborah Jones has won an International Association of Culinary Professionals award for her photography. Her images appear in many cookbooks, including Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking (0-8118-3383-6), A Perfect Glass of Wine (0-8118-1295-2), and the Vege

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First edition. edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811812952
• ISBN-13: 978-0811812955
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,130,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but still quite enjoyable, June 26, 2005

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: A Perfect Glass of Wine: Choosing, Serving, and Enjoying (Hardcover)

You can't throw a wine cork without finding a book written for wine newbies. There's plenty of information for someone wholly new to the subject. What's harder to find is a book for someone like me, who knows the general differences between grape varieties but is far from confident in ordering or picking a bottle for dinner.

Despite its age -- this book dates from 1996 -- A Perfect Glass of Wine does the job. St. Pierre covers each grape variety in detail (5 or 6 pages), as well as a worthwhile section on choosing glassware and accessories (corkscrews and decanters). You'll also find lots of pretty photos, though they add no illumination to the text.

The book is entertaining for the anecdotes (such as a story about the Rhone Rangers, fans of Rhone wines). However, it's especially educational for people who want more than a description of riesling's acidity or even which dishes work well with it (the author recommends cold, cracked Dungeness crab and sourdough, for instance).

St. Pierre includes these, but what I found most valuable was his unabashed opinions about wines from each geography. For instance, still in the riesling section, he says, "California has had success with both styles, but not enough . . . They had great fun challenging Germany's best, but consumers, not sure of what they were getting when they bought a bottle, opted out."

The writing is often simply great, including quotes that make the wine business seem personal ("As Dan Duckhorn, one of the prime [Merlot] movers, later said wryly, 'We had a steep experience curve.'"). And he explains the variations in, say, Merlot, in terms understandable to a not-quite-beginner.

You DO have to keep in mind that the book is dated. From the text, it's evident that the pinot-grigio-everywhere craze hadn't quite taken off when this was written. But so what? I really enjoyed this book, and I think you will, too.